Carroll residents living along the path of the proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project transmission line have been contacted by an unknown entity requesting to buy their land, which state Sen. Justin Ready described as predatory, considering the implications of the proposed project.

The proposal would carve a 70-mile-long path through Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties. The $424 million project has a proposed date of operation of June 2027. Jason Kalwa, who manages the energy project for the Public Service Enterprise Group, said in July that the project will provide a much-needed upgrade to the energy grid, which will benefit Carroll residents and others.

The project has drawn criticism due to its potential to invoke eminent domain, harm the environment, hamper the economic productivity of Carroll farms, reduce property values, pass on costs to energy consumers, and detract from the beauty of nature. Ready stands with other Carroll lawmakers in opposing the plan.

“There have been a number of property owners who’ve been contacted by individuals who are attempting to buy up their land,” Commissioner Joe Vigliotti said at a county meeting on Thursday. “I’m not quite sure whether this is some kind of a scare tactic or a scam, or somebody looking to exploit the situation, but if somebody does try to pressure you into selling your property, say no.”

Ready said he would not tell someone what to do with their property, but he urges residents to not panic or act in fear when evaluating an offer.

“It’s not really illegal for somebody to send you an offer or to say they want to make an offer on your house,” Ready said, “but obviously there can be predatory practices, and we want to keep an eye on that for sure.”

The state senator advises residents to consult real estate or land experts before even entertaining an offer.

Joanne Frederick, director of Stop MPRP, a community advocacy group with hundreds of members and thousands of email recipients that was formed to oppose the project, said last month that agricultural land can be hard to accurately value. She discourages anyone from signing anything that would sell or grant access to their land.

“The first thing that everyone needs to know is do not sign anything,” Frederick said. “If someone knocks on your door and says, ‘We want to talk to you about using your land for power,’ just politely but firmly tell them you’re not interested in and send them on their way.”

Vigliotti asked anyone contacted to reach out to and share details with commissioners, Ready or Stop MPRP.

“All this information, as it comes to light, is incredibly important,” Vigliotti said, “because we all have to be aware of what it is we’re facing. This attempt to buy a property seems to be the latest in a series of interesting incidents.”

Ready said there are many unknown elements regarding the proposed transmission line, and it is unclear what recent property acquisition offers mean for the project, if anything.